With the appointment of Matt Doherty as head coach and the demise of ND football, I think the ND hoops team is generating more excitement than the football team right now.  Scoonie Penn is one of the most dynamic and athletic point guards in the country and Michael Redd is a superstar in the making.  I don't expect ND to stay within 10 by the end of the game, but I'm interested to see the two Matts in action - Matt Doherty and Matt Carroll.  If  Carroll and Jere Macura are as good as I keep reading, ND could be a fairly solid team this year.  Point guard is the only real weak position and depth along the frontcourt behind Troy Murphy and Harold Swanagan is a problem.  The development of Mike Monserez at point will be huge this year since I don't think either Jimmy Dillon or Martin Inglesby are the answers - they are too slow, have trouble penetrating and breaking down a defense, and turn the ball over way too much.  If ND turns out to be a good outside shooting team, they can beat all of the teams in the Big East (except UConn) on any given night.  This team is young, so expect some inconsistency from night to night, but they should be fun to watch, especially if they're shooting well.  Summarizing, here are my keys to the season: 
(1) Murphy needs to play as well as last year - no sophomore slump
(2) Point guard play must be steady - can't turn ball over more than 15
times a game
(3) Carroll and David Graves must combine to average 25 points a game (ND
must shoot well from outside)
(4) Swanagan and Murphy must stay out of foul trouble
(5)  Fans must make the ACC a difficult place for visitors to play.

If ND does these things, they'll finish no worse than 6th or 7th in the conference.   With John MacLeod, they'd finish 10th or 11th.  With Bob Davie, they'd concede every game since they don't have the talent and athleticism to match up with other teams.